Transportation - Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Grand Opening
Saturday, May 21, 2011, Transportation Services hosted the official opening of the Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge over the Loop 101 at 63rd Avenue. Over 200 people attended the ceremony with Vice Mayor Frate, Councilmember Martinez, and Robert Samour, Deputy State Engineer from the Arizona Department of Transportation, cutting the ribbon. Those in attendance were some of the first to cross and explore the bridge while getting a birds-eye view of the Loop 101. Bicyclists, runners and walkers who attended were enthusiastic to have this new and safe pathway over the freeway.
The new pedestrian/bicycle friendly bridge will not only reconnect neighborhoods divided by the freeway, but provide regional connectivity to the Valley’s multi-use pathway system from Thunderbird Park in Glendale to Papago Park in Phoenix and beyond. The cable stay bridge has 20 cables that are 1⅜ inches thick holding the bridge in place. The bridge is 260 feet across and weighs 198 tons, and this iconic structure is the first of its kind in Arizona.
